1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in ear jewelry and more particularly pertains to a new and improved earring construction for pierced ears which includes the use of a rotatable head attached to the stem portion of an earring or the like, whereby the stem may be inserted through a wearer's ear and the rotatable head may then be moved into a position which prevents the stem, and thus the earring, from becoming disengaged from the wearer's ear, thereby to eliminate the need for a separate retaining fastener.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Piercing type earrings having stems or posts designed to pass through openings in earlobes are well known in the art. These earrings normally require the use of separable fasteners or clips that are attachable to end portions of the posts after the posts have been inserted through earlobe openings, thereby to prevent accidental withdrawal of the posts which could result in earring loss. With respect to piercing type earrings, it can be appreciated that substantial problems have been encountered in attempting to design fasteners which won't inadvertently become separated from the earring posts whereby a loss of the associated earring could result. This problem is particularly troublesome when an earring is made of a precious metal or is provided with precious stones inasmuch as a loss of the earring could result in considerable financial deprivation.
There have been several attempts to overcome the problem of losing earrings as a result of an inadvertent disengagement of associated fasteners. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,068, which issued to Arthur Micallef on July 12, 1966, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,033, which issued to Jesse Driscoll on May 27, 1969, both disclose earrings for pierced ears wherein the earrings include stems bent in a manner which effects a retaining of the associated earring in an earlobe without the necessity of utilizing a separate fastener on the stem. More particularly, both of these earring constructions rely upon the substantially transverse positioning of an angulated end portion of a stem with respect to an earlobe, thus to effect a frictional gripping action as occasioned by the attendant weight of the associated earring. While these designs may eliminate the need for a separable fastener, it can be appreciated that substantial difficulty and pain may be experienced in forcing these bent stems through an earlobe, while at the same time there still exists the possibility that the stems could become undesirably disengaged.
A different manner of attaching a single piece earring to an earlobe is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,034, which issued to Jesse Driscoll on May 27, 1969, wherein a complexly-designed attaching means is employed. In this patent, a hollow earring stem is designed to be inserted completely through an earlobe, while a flexible line extends partially through the hollow stem so as to extend out of one end thereof and also out of a separate opening centrally positioned on the stem. A pair of ornaments are attached to respective ends of the flexible line, with the post being positioned transverse to the earlobe after being inserted therethrough while both ends of the flexible line will extend through the earlobe opening. While tending to possibly retain an earring more securely than the above-discussed bent post constructions, it can be appreciated that this form of attaching means is complex to manufacture, requires that the ornaments be retained on flexible lines, and could also cause ear irritation due to the use of the pair of flexible lines through the earlobe opening as opposed to a smooth gold-plated earring post.
Accordingly, it is apparent that there exists a continuing need for improved pierced ear jewelry which eliminates the possibility of loss of separable fasteners while at the same time permitting a quick, secure and comfortable attachment of the associated earring to an earlobe. In this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.